RWBY: From The Dust And Ashes
by TheKeyBlader98
Summary: Darkness, the absence of light. No matter what, it is always there. Watching. Waiting. So that once the chance presents itself, it may plunge the world in its black embrace. But what if there was a light strong enough to dispel darkness for all eternity, yet fragile enough to wink out of existence at any moment? RWBY AU with OCs. No pairings...yet. Rating may change to M later.
1. Prologue: From the Dust

_Thousands of years ago, in the land of Vale, man first roamed the lands of Remnant. This was a time when gods roamed freely in Remnant, shaping the land and its creatures as they saw fit. Mankind was the first race these gods decided as a group to create. Once created, humanity, who worshipped and served the gods (also known as the Divines or Divine Ones), became their crown jewel. There was peace in the world and the Heavens._

_Until the dark taint of the Grimm fell upon mankind._

_The Grimm, emissaries of darkness, were gods who had been deemed unworthy of their power. Cast out of the Heavens, the Grimm are the outcasts who took to living upon the lands of Vytal, constantly seeking revenge on those who saw fit to cast them out. This revenge stemmed from many acts, such as warping the creatures of Remnant into the vicious Creatures of Grimm or outright rebellions against the Divines. So when the Divines had created Mankind, the Grimm took this as their time to rise from the ashes._

_The Grimm tried to corrupt mankind, and had succeeded at first when Lucifer, Lord of the Grimm, tempted the first humans into disobeying the Divine Ones by having them gain the knowledge of good and evil. This taint, the seed for Humanity's downfall, would only serve to strengthen Humanity's resolve. Though they were now impure in the sights of the Divine Ones, this new knowledge would give humans strength of will. They did not give up their quest to serve the Divines._

_The Grimm, however, were furious. Seeing that their plans to corrupt mankind had failed, the Grimm decided to declare war upon the creations of the Divine Ones. Seeing the Grimm's preparations for war, mankind called upon the assistance of the Divines. But due to the now impure nature of the humans, the Divines turned a blind eye on their problems._

_Conflict erupted and mankind had been thrown out to the slaughterhouse. Thousands died within the first few days of fighting. Though the humans fought valiantly, their efforts would not be enough to avert the coming catastrophe. Death seemed imminent for the young human race._

_But before such a catastrophe could fall, a nameless god took pity on mankind. Through her command of the military, known as the Absolution, this nameless Divine gifted mankind's forces with the power of Dust and sent her top Paladins to lead Humanity's remaining forces. This Divine was subsequently banished for her treachery._

_Regardless, her actions were enough to drive back the Grimm and their dark creatures. The war was over, Mankind had won. As all but one of the Paladins returned home, peace had finally come to Remnant._

_Or so everyone thought..._

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**For those of you who read my stories (or story, to be correct), any previous projects are currently on hiatus. The reason: a terrible case of writer's block. I can't find any inspiration for my story whatsoever. So for now, I'm gonna toy around with an idea I've had in my head for a while. Hopefully there are some RWBY fans out their who will like this idea. But explanations aside, I hope working on a new story for a little while will help get me out of this funk. But thank you all for reading this story, and I will see you...in the next update. BUHH-BYYYEE! :D**


	2. Chapter 1: Dust to Dust

**Chapter 1: Dust To Dust**

'This guy really likes to act like he owns the fucking place.'

These were the thoughts of one tall, spiky brown haired teenager as he followed one Roman Torchwick and company from the rooftops of Downtown Vale. It wasn't every night that the teen got to go out on a mission. But he never expected them to be this _boring_. He almost found himself _wishing_ to go back to his uneventful home life. He looked down at the watch on his wrist, only to look back up with an ugly scowl. 'I started doing this at about nine o'clock. It's almost midnight and they haven't done a _damn thing_.' The teen let out a loud groan of agitation.

When the teen heard a surprised grunt from below, he silently clapped a hand over his mouth until the goon that heard him moved on. When he was sure that they had lost interest, the teen's hand returned to his side while he let out a sigh of relief. 'I need to be more careful.' He thought to himself as he leaped to the next rooftop with surprising strength and agility. After walking to a ledge that had a good view of where Torchwick was going, the teen sat down and pulled out his Scroll. After tapping out a few things on the tablet-like device, a more mature, female voice was projected through the earpiece that the teen was wearing. "Michael. Do you have something to report?"

The teen, now known as Michael, stared off into the night sky before replying in a childish manner. "Yeah. I'm _booooorrrrreeeddd_." An agitated sigh resonated from the earpiece's speaker. The woman began to speak again, this time with a more stern tone of voice. "I thought I told you to keep this line clear unless you had something to report." Michael stroked his chin, regardless of the fact that he had shaved two days ago. "I know that," he replied, his legs swaying back and forth over the ledge. "But I need something to do when I'm bored." A quiet growl could be heard as the woman became progressively more agitated with Michael. Michael took a quick glance at Torchwick's group, only to end up standing up and staring back at them again.

"Michael, if you don't have anything useful to report then-" The woman on the other end of the line was cut off by Michael, who was now crouched and watching intently as Torchwick and company entered a nearby Dust shop. "Hold up. Torchwick just entered a Dust shop on Thirty-First Avenue." The woman on the other end fell silent before replying. "From Dust Till Dawn?" She asked for confirmation. Michael nodded even though the woman wouldn't see it. "Yeah, that's the one." Michael could hear mumbling on the other end of the transmission. When the mumbling stopped, the woman replied again. "Alright, I'm on my way there now." Michael took out his Scroll once again before replying. "Alright. But you might want to get here soon, Goodwitch. _Something_ is about to go down." With a few taps on his Scroll, Michael effectively ended the transmission.

It was mere seconds after Michael put his Scroll away that a young girl had sent one of Torchwick's goons flying out the store window. She was dressed in a very short red and black dress with a red cloak draped on her shoulders. Michael's reaction was nothing short of surprise. He was just about to jump down and help the girl when a hand came to rest on his shoulder, causing Michael to jump. Michael whipped around to see the grayish-white hair and tinted glasses of- "Professor Ozpin!? What are you doing here?" Professor Ozpin looked at him and smiled, while small explosions and gunfire could be heard from the street below. "Making observations." He stated it like he had been there the entire time, which, in Michael's mind, seemed _very_ creepy. "Aren't we gonna help her?" Michael asked, turning back to see that the battle had moved to a nearby rooftop and was being carried out from a VTOL.

Just before a shot fired by Torchwick blew the girl to smithereens, there was a flash of purple light. When the dust settled, Glenda Goodwitch could be seen maintaining a shield between the girl and where the explosion flowered up from. Professor Ozpin took a sip of his coffee before returning to his smile from earlier. "By the looks of things, I think she has all the help she needs." He stated with an air of confidence, before turning around to walk away. "I believe our business, as far as I'm concerned, is done here." He called out to Michael without even looking over his shoulder.

Michael was about to question Ozpin on why he wasn't worried about capturing Torchwick, when, suddenly, he felt his Aura bristle at a nearby presence. Ozpin noticed this too, but Michael was the first to react. He turned around to see a woman who was now standing in the shadowy interior of the VTOL, her eyes burning unnaturally in its darkness. 'That presence... It can't be...' Michael was certain that Ozpin was thinking the same thing, especially after the display of her abilities. Once the fight was finished and Torchwick plus one escaped, Ozpin and Michael started to walk off, contemplating what they just saw.

"Can I take a guess and say that you thought that girl on the ship with Torchwick was a Grimm?" Michael asked, putting his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he walked alongside Ozpin. Ozpin's voice sounded somewhat strained when he spoke next. "It doesn't seem right. We beat them into near extinction thousands of years ago and then they don't show their faces to the public until now." Michael looked at Ozpin and grinned in a joking manner. "So I guess that's a yes?" Michael asked, earning not a sound from Ozpin. Michael sighed as Ozpin took a sip of his coffee before continuing. "Unless... You don't think it could've been _her_, could it?" Michael stopped almost immediately, catching Ozpin by surprise when he finally noticed.

When he looked back at Michael, Ozpin saw that his face had fallen and that it was now covered in shadows. Michael didn't look up when he began to speak again, his voice dark and somewhat menacing. "That wasn't _her_. The Grimm killed _her_ when I was a child..." Michael looked up and there was a predatory quality to the look in his brown, normally inviting eyes. "_Along with my mother._" He finished in a whisper, the anger in his voice apparent. Walking past Ozpin, Michael continued to speak in a normal tone once again. "So what's the plan?" Ozpin sighed. 'Thank the Divines, he kept his composure.' Ozpin caught up to Michael before answering. "Well... Me and Miss Goodwitch will be heading back to Beacon and you will be coming back along with the rest of the new recruits." Michael looked at Ozpin and cocked an eyebrow. "And Little Red Riding Hood back there?" Ozpin chuckled at the nickname. "She'll most likely be going to Beacon with you." He informed Michael, adjusting his glasses on his nose. "That is..._after_ I meet her, of course." Michael smiled at the prospect of meeting this girl. Ozpin took notice of this and chuckled. 'This boy is gonna be _a lot_ of trouble for me, isn't he?' He thought, as the pair left the scene together.

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**Another day, another update. I'm ****_really_**** starting to like this story. The more that I plan things out, the more I feel like an evil genius. MWAHAHAHAHA! *Coughs and clears throat.* Ignore that. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Leave a review, follow, or favorite if you liked the story so far, and I will see you...in the next update. BUH-BYYYEEE! :D**


	3. Chapter 2: A New Beginning

**Chapter 2: A New Beginning**

'_I can't believe I'm actually going to Beacon_!'

These were the thoughts of Ruby Rose...at least until she started getting choke-hugged by her older sister, Yang Xiao Long. "Oh! I can't believe my baby sister is going to Beacon with me! This is the best day _ever_!" Yang shouted for nearly everyone on the airship to hear. Almost everyone seemed to be ignoring them though, so Ruby was glad about that. Except now she was having a hard time breathing and felt like she might pass out if she didn't get away. "_Please. Stop._" Ruby choked out before her sister let go of her, allowing her to breathe once again. "But I'm so proud of you!" Yang squealed, doing her best not to start jumping up and down.

'_I knew she would make a big deal out of this._' Ruby thought, letting out a sigh in turn. "Really, Sis, it was nothing." She stated, trying to be serious with her normally outrageous sister. Yang was obviously about to say more, but was cut off when an unfamiliar voice spoke up. The voice sounded silky smooth, while still retaining a somewhat rough quality. "Ha! _Nothing!?_ I wouldn't call fighting off Roman Torchwick, _the most wanted man in all of Remnant_, nothing if I were you." Ruby looked around Yang, who was turned around as well, to see that the one who had spoken was a guy who was leaned up against the railing near the windows, arms crossed.

He looked to be around Yang's age, around six feet in height with dark brown, spiky hair whose fringe slightly covered his chocolate brown eyes. His soft, yet angular, face was devoid of blemishes, aside from a small scar spanning from the right side of his upper lip to the bottom one. He was wearing many layers of clothes. The first layer was a simple, black, v-neck tee. The second seemed to be a dark red button down that was completely undone to show the first shirt. The final layer, which hid most of the button down, was a thin, loose-fitting, black jacket with a dark red symbol on the right side of the chest. The symbol itself resembled an axe with horns at the top, with the bottom forming an arrowhead and wing that curved around the entire thing. A dark red shoulder pad was on his right shoulder that doubled as a strap for his sword sheathe to attach to his back. The sword itself appeared to be a long sword with an intricately designed handle, while two wicked-looking pistols sat in a pair of twin holsters along his waist. He also wore a strange looking gauntlet-like object around his right wrist, a pair of worn-out, dark blue jeans, black combat boots, and a necklace with a strange black crystal at the end.

"Ummm...who are you?" Yang asked, cocking an eyebrow at the newcomer while trying to keep a relaxed posture. She tried to hide it, but Ruby couldn't help but notice how Yang was scanning over him with her eyes. Ruby let out a sigh, while the newcomer did somewhat of a bow. "The name is Michael. Michael Niberius." He announced, standing up straight before continuing. "And what you did a few days ago was impressive." Ruby smiled at the compliment, regardless of the fact that she was just about to go off on how she didn't want special attention. "Thanks," Ruby said sheepishly. "Just doing what I felt was... _Wait_... How do you know about that?" Ruby asked, eyebrows furrowing as she tried to figure out how Michael knew all this. Her eyes suddenly widened, along with her jaw falling open, in utter horror. She pointed at Michael, who looked absolutely confused, before shouting, "Were you _stalking_ me!?"

Ruby was now hiding behind Yang with anime tears falling from the sides of her face, while Yang started to crack her knuckles with an ugly scowl on her face. "_Whhaaattt_?" Ruby's older sister growled at Michael, who was stuck between looking surprised, confused, and scared. Michael threw his hands up in a non-threatening way before he exclaimed, "_What!?_ No!" Michael then looked like he was reconsidering that. "_Errr_..._yes_?" He stated, unsure of what his answer should be. This answer, however, only elicited a low growl from Yang and pitiful whimpering sounds from Ruby, who was still crying in the background. "Wait! No, no, no, no, no, _no_!" Michael cried out, shaking his head and waving his hands in front of him with each word. Michael did not want to get into another one of _those_ situations again.

Suddenly, Yang appeared to catch fire while her eyes turned red, causing Michael to jump. "**_WELL WHAT IS IT THEN!?_**" She shouted at the top of her lungs, gaining quite a few fearful looks from those standing around her. Michael sweat-dropped while still looking on in fear for his life. "I'm sorry. I was helping Professor Ozpin with the mission of tailing Torchwick that night. It just so happened that I came across your sister." Michael answered in a barely audible squeak, still thinking that this would be his end. Fortunately for Michael, his answer managed to knock the two girls out of whatever thoughts they had about the boy at that time. Yang managed to calm herself down and turn back to normal, whereas; Ruby went wide eyed at Michael as her tears suddenly disappeared. 'He works with Professor Ozpin!' Ruby thought in absolute wonder.

Ruby scampered up to Michael with a surprising burst of speed, catching the teen by surprise as the younger girl looked up at him in wonder. "So, if you work with Professor Ozpin, does that mean your a Hunter?" Ruby asked with a squeal, eliciting an eye roll from Yang and a shaky chuckle from Michael. His heart was still racing from the prospect of possibly being killed by Ruby's older sister. Speaking of whom, Michael did a quick once over of the intimidating blonde before a smirk came to his face with a slight shiver. '_Damn. Why do the hot ones always have to be so dangerous?_' He thought, not noticing that Ruby had seen the entire thing. With a frown on her face, Ruby stomped on Michael's foot which caused him to snap out of his thoughts. Yang just looked on at the scene confused as Michael grasped onto his now injured foot.

When Michael was finished hopping around on one foot in pain, Ruby tried to pry for information again. "So are you a Hunter?" She asked, eyes somewhat sparkling at the prospect of meeting another Hunter or Huntress. Michael shut his eyes and smiled sheepishly at the girls, scratching the back of his head while at it. "Well, no. That's the reason why I'm going to Beacon." He explained nervously under the attention of the two girls. "But I've done a bit of freelance work all over the place."

Ruby crinkled her nose at that. "So your like a mercenary?" She questioned, trying to imagine what a Hunter-for-hire would be like. Michael opened his eyes and snapped. "Exactly," he stated with a smile. "Except I'm much nicer and more awesome." Yang flicked her hair over her shoulder before giving Michael an appraising look. "And much _cuter_." She stated, causing everyone to go silent. As a blush started to find its way onto Michael's lightly tanned cheeks, Ruby suddenly appeared beside her sister, delivering a smack to the blonde's head. "Yang. Stop flirting with the new guy." She stated to her sister, almost demanding that she do what she says. "_Fine_." Yang groaned out while rubbing the small lump that was forming on the back of her head. '_Doesn't mean I can't later._' She thought while giving her younger sister the evil eye.

"So what made you decide to go now?" Ruby asked, absolutely curious about the new guy. Michael just shrugged before he looked out the window looking over the city. "Well...there are a lot of reasons for _why_, but it's mostly because I felt like it was the right time." He said with a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, before turning back towards Ruby and Yang. Ruby was just about to open her mouth to ask him something else, until Michael spoke before she did. "By the way, before you ask me some more questions, I never had the pleasure of learning your names." Ruby threw an inviting smile at Michael while Yang just smirked. "My name's Ruby. Ruby Rose." The younger girl said, her smile becoming even more inviting than before. "And I'm Yang. Yang Xiao Long." Stated the blonde girl with an amused smirk.

Michael ended up frowning in confusion. "I thought you two were sisters?" The two girls grinned cheekily at Michael. "Adoptive." They both answered at the same time. Michael nodded while a look of understanding came onto his face. The group then looked over when a news broadcast seemed to grow louder. None of them were really paying attention, only catching small bits about Torchwick and a Faunus rally. It was only when the transmission was cut and a projection of a woman appeared, did they begin to pay attention. "Who's that?" Yang asked, truly curious. Both Michael and the projection answered at, seemingly, the same time. "My name is/ Glenda Goodwitch." Yang looked somewhat downcast by that. '_How come everyone knows these things but me?_' Yang thought.

"You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Hunters and Huntresses it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage _needed_ for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world." The speech ended as Glynda's hologram disappeared, Michael responding to it with a subjective 'humph'.

"Oh, wow!" Michael turned to see Ruby press her nose against the window, looking out over the town below. Yang let a smile tug at her lips, while Michael decided to look out over the city with a grin. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Michael asked of no one in particular, just letting the question hang in the air. "Yeah," Ruby responded, wonder apparent in her voice. "Look, you can see Signal from here." Ruby let out a relieved sigh, while her sister moved up next to her. "I guess home isn't far after all." Yang put an arm around Ruby's shoulder, while Michael looked at them with his grin lessening. "Beacon is our home now." Yang explained, pulling her sister in closer. Michael just gave them a sad smile. '_At least you have a home still._' Michael thought to himself, trying not to let his emotions show on his face too much.

Everyone was broken out of their thoughts when a loud groaning noise could be heard to their right. Ruby, Yang, and Michael all looked over to see a blonde teen, who was looking out the window, cup a hand over his mouth as he staggered away, trying not to puke. Michael let out a lighthearted chuckle as his mood returned to a happy one. "Hang in their buddy. Ride 's almost over." Michael called out to the guy reassuringly. Yang and Ruby chuckled as they watched the teen stagger away, holding a 'thumbs up'. "I guess the view isn't for _everyone_." Yang stated jokingly, trying to hold back a snicker. Ruby looked over at Michael before saying, "Well it _was_ a nice moment while it lasted." Michael responded with a close-eyed smile.

"Other than Michael, I wonder if we're going to meet any new people while at Beacon!" Yang exclaimed, looking really excited. Michael looked at Yang and scoffed. "Leaving me in the dust already? Why...you hurt my feelings, my lady." Michael complained in an, _obviously_, exaggerated tone, earning a giggle from Yang. Ruby looked off in the direction that the sick blonde staggered away in. "I just hope they're better than _Vomit Boy_." Ruby said, a judgmental tone edging into her voice, while Michael started to rub his left shoulder with his right hand. "Go easy on him. All guys have their weaknesses..." Michael trailed off from what he was saying, because of what he saw on Yang. Noticing how Michael went silent, Ruby looked over to follow his shocked gaze. What she saw made her squeal out in disgust. "_Ewww!_ Yang, you've got _vomit_ on your _shoe_!" Michael blanched as he began to feel sick at the sight. "I don't think vomit is supposed to be _that_ color." He explained, turning around to keep his lunch down.

Yang froze, before clinging to Ruby like she could save her. "_Gross, gross, gross, gross, GROSS!_" She cried, as her younger sister tried to pry her away from her body using her foot. "Get away from me! Get away from me! _Get away from me!_" She cried, the anime tears falling once more. Michael couldn't help but laugh at the sight. This year was gonna be a fun year.

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**This. Took. Forever. I hope you guys are happy with this new chapter. Between school and everyday life, it's getting impossible for me to write. But, like I promised, I delivered a longer chapter to you all. As you all can probably see, I've been sticking to canon somewhat. This will only be for the time period of the first few episodes of RWBY. I'll be writing in new scenes involving other characters with my OC(s?) soon. Anyways, onto other topics. If you are wondering what the symbol on Michael's jacket, or what his weapons, look like, then here are what I based them off of:**

**Michael's Symbol = The Order of the Sword's symbol from the original DMC games.**

**Michael's sword and pistols = Rebellion, Ebony, and Ivory from the new DMC game.**

**Man this is a long AN. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please leave review, critique, favorite, or follow and I will see you...in the next update. BUH-BYYEE! :D**


	4. Chapter 3: A Beacon of Hope Pt 1

**Chapter 3: A Beacon of Hope Pt. 1**

For most people when they walk onto the grounds of Beacon Academy, their first sight is of the towering spires and the beautiful architecture of the school itself. For others, it's the natural beauty that lies in or around the school's courtyard. For this year's students, however, their first sight walking off of the airship was of a blonde teenager hunching over a trash can, spewing his guts out.

Michael could only grimace at the guy, as he made his way off the airship with Yang and Ruby to his left. 'It couldn't have been that bad of a ride for him...could it?' He thought as the three of them made their way down a long pathway leading down the middle of the courtyard.

As the group got closer to the towering structure, Michael's ears perked up as he heard the girls let out a quiet sigh of amazement. Michael smirked before looking at the two sisters. "Amazing, right?" He asked with a quirk of an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Yang answered with a quick nod of her head. "The view from Vale 's got nothing on this." She stated, crossing her arms beneath her chest.

Before the two could continue with a conversation, a high pitched squealing noise to their left caught their attention. Now Michael didn't know what he was expecting to see when he looked, but he was pretty sure it wasn't a floating, chibi Ruby with stars in her eyes. Michael threw a questioning look towards Yang, whose shoulders sagged as she let out a sigh. In answer to the look she was receiving, Yang just shook her head in a way of saying, "Don't ask."

"Oh!" Chibi Ruby squealed in excitement before pointing off in some random direction. "Sis! That kid's got a collapsible staff!" Michael sweat-dropped at that last sentence. 'So this is all over...weapons? She's fangirling over weapons?' He relayed in his mind before tuning back in to hear Ruby let out a loud gasp. "And she's got a fire sword!" She exclaimed as she started to float away.

Before Ruby could disappear, Yang grabbed a hold of the hood of Ruby's cloak, changing her back to normal and breaking her out of her trance. But not without Ruby eliciting a few small cries of pain. "Easy there, little sister. They're _just_ weapons." Yang stated, trying to calm Ruby down, but only succeeding in gaining a shocked look from the young girl. "_Just weapons_?" She repeated the statement with a bit of disdain. "They're an extension of ourselves. They're a part of us!" She exclaimed, extending her arms out for emphasis, before bringing them back in to clasp her hands in front of her chest. "They're _so_ cool." She sighed, a small twinkle in her eyes.

Michael let out a small chuckle, allowing the attention to be turned onto him. "Well, if that's the case, then why don't you swoon over your own weapon?" He asked, taking a peek at the collapsible scythe-rifle on her back. "From what I saw of your fight a few days ago, it's pretty impressive."

As soon as Michael mentioned the weapon, Ruby had Crescent Rose unfolded and balanced on her shoulder in a matter of seconds. "Of course I'm happy with Crescent Rose. I just _really_ like seeing new ones." She explained with a happy smile before continuing. "It's like meeting new people." Her smile, as well as her head and the volume of her voice, fell with that last sentence. "But better..." Ruby added in a disheartened tone.

Hearing the last part of Ruby's words, Michael let a false pout appear on his face. "_Awwww_! That hurts my feelings." He whined, enjoying the distressed look on Ruby's face. "Wait! I didn't mean it like-" Ruby's apologies were cut short as laughter broke through Michael's sad facade. "I know you didn't mean anything by it. I just liked the prospect of messing with you." Michael said in between laughs with a cheeky smile, a pout forming on Ruby's face as she let out a pitiful "Not funny." Watching the whole exchange, Yang couldn't help but laugh.

As soon as the laughs quieted down, Ruby looked at her sister expectantly. "So what are we gonna do now, sis?" She asked, not wanting to be separated from her older sister. As soon as the words left Ruby's mouth, however, a sheepish look came to Yang's face. "_Weeelll_..." She started to say, before a bunch of people neither Michael nor Ruby recognized surrounded them. "I was gonna meet up with my friends and catch up. So, see you guys. Bye!" She shouted out as quickly as possible before taking off with the group of people following her.

The people left so fast that they ended up knocking Michael down, and spinning Ruby so fast that she began to stumble around dizzily. While Ruby stumbled around saying something about dorms, Michael sat up from his position on the ground and scowled at the people retreating in the distance. Michael growled out, "I swear, if I find the asshole who knocked me down..." Michael's words were lost, however, when he saw Ruby fall over into someone's luggage carrier, sending white carrying cases off in multiple directions.

Concerned, Michael got up quickly and moved to see if Ruby was alright. "Are you alright Ruby?" He asked, kneeling next to her as she stirred from her dizziness. Before an answer could be provided though, another voice cried out. "What are you doing!?" Both Michael and Ruby looked up to see a girl with snow white hair and a pure white dress looking at the two of them quite angrily. Ruby, who had an embarrassed blush dusting her cheeks, impulsively spoke up first. "Sorry!" She almost yelled, causing Michael to wince at the volume.

"_Sorry_! Do you have _any_ idea of the damage you could've caused!?" The girl yelled, pointing at Ruby multiple times to make a point. "Looks like someone got off on the wrong side of the bed this morning." Michael stated matter-of-factly, his eyes not leaving the girl as Ruby held up one of the cases, which was snatched from her hands seconds later.

"Give me that!" She demanded angrily, opening the case up. "This is Dust. Mined, _and purified_, from the Schnee Quarry." The girl drawled out as if speaking to a small child. With the way Ruby was stuttering and stammering, the girl probably did think she was talking to a child.

Michael was about to tell the girl to ease off on Ruby, until he saw her pull out a vial of Dust and start waving it around, throwing clouds of the stuff in the air around them. This caused Michael's eyes to go wide as dinner plates before he stood up and backed away a couple of feet. While the angry girl scolded Ruby and threw more of the copious amounts of Dust into the air, Michael watched as Ruby's face started to scrunch up. When the girl looked up to see where Michael was, it was already to late for her.

"What are you doing over-""ACHOO!"

The air around Ruby and the other girl went up in a small explosion of fire, ice, and other various elements, sending the Dust vial flying over in Michael's direction. Michael watched the vial roll past him slightly, only to stop at another girl's foot. The sudden appearance of the girl, who was dressed in black and white clothing with a large black bow at the top of her head, startled Michael slightly. '_I didn't even hear her walk up next to me._' He thought, surprised someone could sneak up on him with his abnormally good hearing. This was, at least, until he detected a small oddity in her Aura signature. '_Wait...that's... Ahh, I see now._' He realized, a look of understanding crossing his face as the girl picked up the vial.

"_Unbelievable_!" The sudden cry shook Michael from his musings, turning his attention back to an uncomfortable looking Ruby and the really angry girl dressed in white. "This is _exactly_ the kind of thing I was talking about!" The girl all but screamed at Ruby, who couldn't seem to look up at the girl. "I'm really, _really_ sorry." Ruby apologized in as sincere a tone as possible. The other girl, however, wasn't having it. "_Uh_! You complete dolt!" That put a frown on Michael's face as he continued to listen.

"What are you even doing here?" Seeing his chance to step in and turn things around, Michael spoke up. "I can answer that." This statement caught the attention of the other girl, who looked annoyed with Michael for butting in, and Ruby, who looked surprised by the teen's action. With a smug smirk in place, Michael continued. "She's here, because she's managed to do something that few others can."

Looking absolutely fed up with everything, the white haired girl crossed her arms before speaking again in an annoyed drawl. "_Oh_? And what might _that_ be?" Michael took the time to let a wolffish grin spread across his face before answering. "Oh, nothing much. She just managed to fend off a wanted terrorist without so much as a scratch." The surprise this caused the white haired girl almost made her fall over. Ruby, however, felt otherwise. "Michael! Why did you tell them that?" She cried out, not at all comfortable with the fact of people knowing how she got into Beacon. Michael just closed his eyes and shrugged. "People were gonna learn at some point. Might as well get it over with." He replied nonchalantly, looking back at the girl in white, whose mouth was hanging open. "What? Cat got your tongue, Princess?" Michael asked, an amused glint in his eyes as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

"Heiress, actually." Michael and the other girls looked over, as the girl with the bow spoke up for the first time. "Weiss Schnee. Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world." She stated, walking over to the aforementioned girl and holding the vial of Dust up. The now identified Weiss let a triumphant smirk cross her face. "_Finally_! Some recognition." She remarked happily, while sending looks towards Ruby and Michael.

"The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and _questionable_ business partners." The mystery girl continued, getting a shocked response from Weiss. Weiss' expression and loss for words elicited a giggle from Ruby and a chuckle from Michael. The pair continued like this as they watched an enraged Weiss snatch her dust back from the mystery girl and then storm off. Before Weiss could leave, though, Ruby stopped giggling and called out to her. "I promise, I'll make this up to you!"

Michael looked over at the girl in confusion. "Why are you apologizing? You know you didn't do anything wrong." Ruby just gave a little shrug of her shoulders before answering. "I just don't want her angry at me all year." Michael scrunched his eyebrows before sighing. Noticing that a certain energy signature had disappeared, Michael turned around to see that the mystery girl had vanished into thin air. '_Where did she go?_' He thought, looking for any signs as to where the girl went.

Sighing, Michael looked back at Ruby while scratching the back of his head. "I guess it's just you and me now, huh?" He asked, somewhat nervous about the prospect of being alone with a girl. Albeit a younger girl, but a girl nonetheless. From the look on Ruby's face, Michael could tell she felt the same about being with him. "Actually..." Michael and Ruby looked over, as yet another person appeared. "Would you mind if I tagged along?" It was none other than the vomiting teen from before.

Vomit Boy, as Ruby calls him, just stood there scratching at the back of his head, grinning nervously at Ruby and Michael. Ruby and Michael looked at each other, almost like they were having a telepathic conversation, before Michael turned away and shrugged. "Why the hell not?" He proclaimed, causing Vomit Boy to sigh in relief, his nervous grin turning into a happy smile. "Thanks," he stated gratefully before extending a hand out towards Michael. "My name's Jaune, by the way. Jaune Arc."

Michael just smiled, putting both of his hands in his jacket pockets again. "I would normally shake your hand, but, seeing as how you were losing your lunch earlier, I think I'll pass." Michael explained, an embarrassed look coming to Jaune's face as his hand returned to his side.

"The name is Michael." Michael announced, earning a slight nod from Jaune before he turned towards Ruby, who gave a hesitant smile. "Ruby." She stated, short and to the point. With all the introductions aside, Michael turned towards the school before starting forward at a steady pace. "If there aren't any more interruptions to worry about, then I suggest we get to the school. We're gonna miss orientation." Michael called out with an amused smile, hearing two different cries of distress from behind him.

Ruby and Jaune soon caught up with Michael, the three of them making their way up to the academy. As the three conversed amongst each other, Michael decided to let his mind wander. '_How long has it been... How long since the last time I've interacted with people like this?_' He asked himself, lilting in and out of the conversation going on beside him. '_Eight years? Yeah. Eight years. That was when I was with Teacher._' A sad look suddenly entered Michael's eyes, as his thoughts continued to reflect on parts of his past. The sadness soon left his eyes, only to be replaced by a willful determination. '_Don't worry, Teacher. I _will_ right the wrongs from all those years ago._' Michael looked over at Jaune and Ruby as they conversed, a warm smile gracing his face. '_And I _won't_ be alone anymore._'

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**I'm not sure what to think of this chapter. I feel like it's good, but not complete. It was originally gonna be longer, but then it didn't seem to flow right. But other than my worries, I present to you another chapter. There are more introductions and hints to another OC. I hope I'm making Michael's past a good enough mystery, by the way. Please continue to review, critique, follow, and favorite this story. And, as always, I will see you...in the next update. BUH-BYYEE! **


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